[shellylh]

I just completed my first DIY project: a guitar headphone amplier (from a kit... kind of a cheat but...).

It wasn't too difficult and sounds pretty good. There is some slight amount of hiss that is audible when connected to the guitar but that could be because of the cheap electric guitar I own (Squier mini) or the really cheap headphones I was using for fear of ruining my good headphones. Overall, I am happy with it, I had fun making it, and I learned a lot in the process.

Now I have to figure out what to do next. I have all the parts to make a CMOY (I bought them around the time I found the guitar hp amp kit). I don't really need one but I guess it is good practice and I could always give it away to someone.

The picture of the soldering joints was taken late at night and it is not such a good picture.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Nice work and thanks for the pics!

Go ahead and build the CMoy - it's a good amp to learn from.

Have you thought about getting into tubes? You can build some pretty amazing stuff for both guitar and headphones.

 

[shellylh]

I have heard (maybe the information was incorrect) that working with tubes is more dangerous than solid state. Maybe I will take a stab with tubes after a few more SS projects. I have always been interested in making a Scott Nixon tube dac. Any thoughts? I know that tubes are supposed to work better for guitar amps (because they can distort more than SS?).

For now I'll try the cmoy.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[juniperlater]

Very cool!

 

[Postal_Blue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shellylh /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have heard (maybe the information was incorrect) that working with tubes is more dangerous than solid state.

This in only true in that *most tubes circuits use high voltages as compared to *some of their SS counterparts. There are a lot of low voltage tube designs that are no more dangerous than low voltage SS designs.

Oh and very cool little project you built, looks nice.

 

[shellylh]

Good to know, thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Postal_Blue /img/forum/go_quote.gif This in only true in that *most tubes circuits use high voltages as compared to *some of their SS counterparts. There are a lot of low voltage tube designs that are no more dangerous than low voltage SS designs.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shellylh /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have heard (maybe the information was incorrect) that working with tubes is more dangerous than solid state. Maybe I will take a stab with tubes after a few more SS projects. I have always been interested in making a Scott Nixon tube dac. Any thoughts? I know that tubes are supposed to work better for guitar amps (because they can distort more than SS?). For now I'll try the cmoy. Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, tubes are generally more dangerous to work with. Most of them have a B+ running anywhere from 200V to 500V, sometimes more.

But they're only dangerous when plugged in.

You can do the build itself just as safely as any solid state project. When it comes to testing and troubleshooting you have to be careful. Usual safety stuff: work with one hand only, don't work if you're tired or frustrated, use as much safety gear as possible (variacs and isolation transformers are great) attach test probes *before* you apply power and then power up not touching it, and so on.

The right way to think about them is that tube amps take longer and you have to go through more steps.

I think the reward of tubes is completely worth the extra time. If you're not hooked yet, take your guitar to a store with some tube amps and give them a play. That should be enough to get your interest.

 

[shellylh]

Hmm... sounds scary indeed. Maybe I'll get the courage someday!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, tubes are generally more dangerous to work with. Most of them have a B+ running anywhere from 200V to 500V, sometimes more. But they're only dangerous when plugged in. You can do the build itself just as safely as any solid state project. When it comes to testing and troubleshooting you have to be careful. Usual safety stuff: work with one hand only, don't work if you're tired or frustrated, use as much safety gear as possible (variacs and isolation transformers are great) attach test probes *before* you apply power and then power up not touching it, and so on. The right way to think about them is that tube amps take longer and you have to go through more steps. I think the reward of tubes is completely worth the extra time. If you're not hooked yet, take your guitar to a store with some tube amps and give them a play. That should be enough to get your interest.

 

[TimJo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif But they're only dangerous when plugged in.

When unplugged, watch out for charged capacitors though. It's always a good idea to bleed high voltage caps before poking around. They can get you if your not paying attention.